MIAMI: At a Catholic church in Miami, people touch elbows, and take communion in their hands: it’s mass in the time of coronavirus.
Only about 100 mostly Hispanic faithful were at mass this Lenten Sunday at Miami’s Ermita de la Caridad; on a normal Sunday, three times as many parishioners flock in.
And there’s really nothing normal about this Sunday as the world is on edge over the virus which has killed more than 6,500 people around the globe, sparking border closures and sending many into protective isolation.
Three large containers of hand sanitizer at the entrance are all empty, and no one is wearing gloves or protective masks.
But when time comes for people to offer each other a sign of peace, usually done with handshakes, the virus makes itself felt: everyone waves, bumps elbows or just smiles and shrugs.
Father Delvis Mederos said after mass that no congregant is obliged to take communion, and that “it’s recommended that people receive it in their hand so as to protect everyone else, but that is not enforced.”
Parishioner Alfredo Pablo still took the communion wafer in his mouth, saying there is nothing to fear because he believes the body of Christ can’t cause disease.
“The recommendations were made,” said Pablo, a 67-year-old Dominican man who offered an elbow-based greeting before taking communion the traditional way.
Last week, hundreds of people in Washington went into quarantine after they attended a service with a pastor who tested positive for the virus.
As cases mount rapidly across the United States, authorities recommend avoiding large groups of people and keeping distance.
Many schools and universities across the US have closed, while even New York city has ordered bars and restaurants to close.
Nationwide guidance recommends that organizers cancel or postpone any events gathering 50 people or more, with the exception of day-to-day activities in education or business.
While some churches are offering remote services with live broadcasts, or streaming, others have so far continued to offer public services but that may now change.
